


Pulling elf-ears

by octopus_fool



Category: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Gen, Khazâd November, Pre-Slash, Teasing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-02
Updated: 2017-11-02
Packaged: 2019-01-28 13:18:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12607512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/octopus_fool/pseuds/octopus_fool
Summary: Gimli has taken to winding up Legolas whenever he can.





	Pulling elf-ears

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Day 1 of [Khazâd November](https://a-grump-of-dwarves.tumblr.com/post/166304116735/khaz%C3%A2d-november-2017), the additional prompt was "family".

“What would you even understand about that?” Gimli asked, annoyed that this princeling thought he knew everything better, even when he had rarely left his forest before. “I thought you elves are made when your fathers whisper at a carved wooden statue for days or sing a particularly pretty song in the woods.”

It was not as though Gimli truly believed that, but it was always fun to see the young elf become indignant. If he had to put up with him, he could at least try to draw some amusement from the situation. 

“What?!” Legolas laughed in disbelief. “It’s orcs that are spawned, or maybe you dwarves. We elves are created properly.” 

Of course Legolas stuck to that ridiculous old prejudice. Gimli wouldn’t have expected anything else.

“I don’t even want to imagine what being ‘created properly’ means to you,” Gimli replied. “And we are not spawned from rock, whatever your strange superstitions may say.”

“Well how are you created then?” Legolas asked.

Gimli snorted. This conversation was not quite going in a direction he liked, but then, what had he been expecting? “That’s not talked about, you shameless... But if you really want to know, when a dwarf and a dwarrowdam love each other very much...”

“Thank you, I really don’t think there’s that much of a difference between all of our races in that regard,” Aragorn interrupted with a laugh from where he was sitting on a stone nearby. “I think we can do without the detailed version.”

“That was my point the entire time,” Gimli said, “but Princeling Leafear here insisted.” He was quite satisfied to see that a hint of a blush was creeping over the elf’s flawless skin.

“Well you implied that elves don’t understand what it means to have a family!” Legolas retorted. “I was just trying to figure out what is so different about dwarves that you’d think all of that is entirely different for elves.”

Gimli could run with that one. “But you elves have tiny families, ones that can barely be called such! So how could you possibly understand?”

“I thought you don’t have any brothers or sisters either?” Legolas asked, half-annoyed and half puzzled.

“Yes, but I have more cousins than you could count. Can you really say the same?”

Gimli could see Aragorn roll his eyes and leave his rock to join Boromir and the hobbits. “Now they are arguing about who has the bigger one. Bigger family, I mean,” Gimli could hear him say to Boromir, as though Boromir couldn't hear them from where he was sitting.

Boromir laughed. “Sounds like they are at least getting closer to the point. Do you think we should...” 

“No, let them figure it out themselves,” Aragorn replied and Gimli could hear the grin in his voice.

Gimli briefly wondered whether he should complain about the way they were talking about him, especially since he was just trying to draw some amusement from this annoying elf. Instead, he concentrated again on what Legolas was saying instead.

“... have more children, but my mother decided one was enough. And I have no cousins because my father's brothers and sisters died in ancient wars. But even if this might be hard to understand for you, I did not grow up alone with my parents. They took in an elfling that was orphaned in an orc raid, since only an orc would abandon a young child whose parents died in defence of the kingdom and they wanted her best. So yes, I did grow up with a sister.”

Rather reluctantly, Gimli nodded. He preferred arguing with the elf than agreeing with him, but for once, he was saying something sensible and that could only be encouraged. “Actually, that sounds more like a dwarven family than everything I have ever heard about you elves. Maybe you do at least have a basic understanding of family.”

“Am I ever glad to hear that. I was starting to think I might have to go and question everything I ever knew just because a dwarf didn’t agree with me,” Legolas said in a tone that made Gimli’s hackles rise again. After all, he had just been agreeing with the elf. Would this insolent elf never shut up and show him a little respect?


End file.
